Copper Stamping Capabilities

Prototype & Short-Run Services has more than twenty years’ experience in custom copper stamping. We specialize in production and prototype manufacturing of deep drawn copper parts. We provide high precision, perfectly repeatable copper stamping for everything from simple copper cylinders to highly intricate specialty parts.

We are a full-service metal stamping job shop with the capabilities to handle your entire project from start to finish. Our expert team can provide design/engineering assistance, as needed, and we offer a wide range of finishing services (deburring, heat treating, etc.). Prototype & Short-Run Services will turn your concepts into tangible products efficiently, cost-effectively, and in quick turnaround times to meet your schedule.

Deep Drawn Copper

To create deep drawn parts, sheet copper is first “blanked,” or cut into round or shaped flats. From there, the flats are fed into the stamping machine, where a hydraulically-powered punch presses the material into shape via a series of progressive dies. As they move through the die sequence, the flats are gradually formed into the desired part shape. The deep drawing process results in seamless, one-piece parts.

Any holes that the part designs specify are punched into the part following the drawing process, and excess material is trimmed away.

Because deep drawing is a “cold working” process, the material is automatically work hardened. As the copper is stretched and formed into finished parts, the material’s grain structure is altered, giving it greater physical strength than the original base material.

Our experience and expertise enable us to produce any deep drawn copper part—from the simplest to the most complex—with exceptional precision. More intricate parts generally require more steps/dies in the stamping process, but can still be produced with the same speed and accuracy as more basic designs. And, deep drawn copper stamping is equally effective for prototype manufacturing and full production runs.

Copper Grades

We can produce deep drawn copper parts and prototypes in a wide range of material grades, including, but not limited to:

C11000 copper

C21000 copper

Copper alloys

Etc. etc.

Characteristics of Copper

Copper is a nonferrous metal, closely related to gold and silver and, like those metals, known for its distinctive color. It exhibits excellent thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity. It offers high tensile strength, high creep/deformation resistance, and a very low rate of thermal expansion. Copper is a relatively soft metal with excellent ductility, making it ideal for production via deep drawn stamping.

It is highly corrosion resistant, as it does not rust or otherwise react with water. Instead, copper reacts with atmospheric oxygen to produce a thin layer of copper oxide that protects the underlying material from corrosion.

The metal is naturally hygienic and exhibits antimicrobial properties, making it useful for applications in the medical and food and beverage industries. Copper’s color and ability to be polished to a high luster make it popular for decorative parts and components.

Along with zinc, copper is one of the base metals used to create brass.

Benefits of Working with Copper

Deep drawn copper parts are useful for myriad applications. The material’s unique physical properties make it popular for everything from electrical components to HVAC systems to architecture. Copper’s durability and resistance to corrosion make it an excellent, low maintenance material for part and prototype manufacturing.

As the end of another calendar year approaches, we would like to express our thanks to you and your company to commend you all for the tremendous efforts, technical proficiency, quality products, and services. We are asked to do whatever necessary to help meet near impossible schedules.

While working for a stamping company Jack saw that the need for prototyping was becoming more of an issue every day. No one was satisfied. Customers never got parts to print and in-house people hated doing custom parts. A magazine article in 1989 describing the capabilities.....